Mushtaq's solo journey postFun-da-mental goes from strength to strength

So yeah, the music industry works like a conveyer belt where soundlikes are more commonly profitable than true talents and there's only three ways to go: get hip and on the ball for five years of pop-fame, become rocking Gods and get a decade or more, or, be true to yourself and gamble in a business that refuses to back any true runners solidly. Mushtaq is one who managed to magnetise a major label (Mercury/Universal) with an album that contains more varied tones than you'll find in an abridged music encyclopaedia.

Despite fronting a rap-aggro rockers Fun-da-mental he called it a day when they could have surfed to world domination.

"It had to end," he explains, inscrutable behind his indoor shades, "because I came to the end of my frustrations expressed through an industrial and political rap; it was great platform to air my views rather than smash shop-windows and cars. We did all we could to reach the top of the creative hill. At the same time I was exposed to plenty of different musical styles and I wanted to embrace in my music. I couldn't do that with Fun-da-mental."

Well he's done it now, on an album that opens with a dancey-tune. The other 11 songs visit the singersongwriter's angst, encompassing soulful moments, reggae, rock... you name it and he's got it covered!

In the driving seat

With his music career on hold, Mushtaq drove a minicab to finance his song making and rehearsing. MTV had an account with his firm and, listening to many executives discussing latest pop-babes and boybands, he knew that his chances of securing a major contract were near zero. He wrote songs but any creative satisfaction was seriously counter-balanced by frustration. Until some friends made him put 8 of his songs on a tape and shopped it around.

"One day I was told," Mushtaq recalls incredulously, "that there were six major labels wanting to sign me. I didn't believe it but it turned out to be true and I signed with the company that didn't plan to turn me into Rickie Martin but let me be myself. Here I'm proud of the music I've made, and the album might not sell any copies but I'm damn pleased to have made it! If it touches one or two people, that'll be my reward."

In the driving seat

Son of a Bengal father and a Bengali-Iranian mother, Mushtaq grew up in West London and experienced all the injustices kids, schooling and society could hurl at him. That's what he expressed in his band days, while the new material literally defie every kind of categorisation. For the benefit of those who can't live without'tags', he calls his music 'Millennium blues'. It's not the traditional blues but has pain painted all over it.

"Yes, but the next step is hope," Mushtaq explains, "and I stand against the subculture of trends; I write what I feel and my songs are written this way because of my deformed way of writing songs. I'm not brilliant but I have need to express passion and homage to people like Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, Nusrat Faleb Ali Khan..."

"I believe that music has the power to move people, make them think differently and entertain other ideas but I don't expect to change the world. I'm a hippy, an idealist who believes that individual perception can be influenced by music. I feel like an outsider but I'm a lucky kid to have a contract and make music he wants to. But I'll never make music to sedate the world..."

Rather music with spirituality this pretty vacant world could do with more of...